The joy in eating comes from choosing what to munch on, based on how you feel.

But that “I-eat-whatever-I-feel-like” could mean overeating, mindless, emotional or unhealthy eating.

After a week of following MyPlate’s guidelines on a budget, I learned it takes a lot of planning and calculating. But it's possible.

For a week, I tweeted my meals on my Twitter account, @MadisonCNN. I planned my meals to ensure I had fruits, vegetables, lean protein, grains and low-fat dairy, while sticking to a weekly budget of $61.27.

I tried to eat out as I normally would, instead of eating all my meals at home ,which would’ve been unrealistic.

I ended up caving to a $3.72 frozen yogurt on the last day of the challenge. I was already 31 cents over budget, but the froyo pushed me way over. I didn't realize that until Sunday night.

Budget: $61.27
Final tally: $65.30

Here are my observations in bite-sized pieces:

1) MyPlate took me much longer to eat, because I had to finish various components.

One afternoon, my lunch took me two hours to finish because of meetings, interruptions and phone calls. I felt like I was eating all the time because it took me such a long time to finish.

The big difference was that I wasn’t eating fast, convenient foods that easily fit in my hands like a snack bar or a burger. So I ate at a much slower pace.

When I got hungry, I snacked on mostly bananas, apples or grapes. But I also felt like I was constantly eating.

After a meal, I never felt hungry or uncomfortably full. Eating MyPlate slowed down my pace and made me more aware of how I felt after a meal.

2) It gets easier. Promise.

At first, the challenge seemed daunting.

The first two days, I felt hopeless – especially for a girl who seldom cooks and accidentally cracked a runny, underboiled egg against her table (messy).

I sought advice from foodie co-workers and sections like Cooking Light’s Budget Cooking that estimates how much each serving costs. I visited the grocery store three times in one week to price shop for the food I wanted.

Menu planning got easier as the week went by. There was some nice encouragement, including from CNNHealth contributor @AmandaEnayati who wrote, “I want to tell u that it gets easier with time & practice & also food gets yummier.”

3) Portion control is key.

Eating from the bento box ensured that I ate only what was in my container and didn’t go overboard on the portions. Having a visual cue helped me control how much I consumed.

On Twitter, @CliffWeightLoss asked: “Are you tracking any variables, such as weight, body fat %, or BP [blood pressure] during this experiment?”

I didn’t want this to be about calories or weight loss, but I had a doctor’s appointment three days before I started the challenge.

I lost 2 pounds by the end of the week and I wasn’t exercising any more than normal.

4) Your variables matter.

Eating to an ideal can be harder depending on where you live, access to stores/farmer markets, income, time constraints, food allergies or dietary restrictions.

Finally, I compiled the best affordable and healthy eating tips from blog readers and Tweeps:

Mollie: The expensive fruits & veggies are usually those that are out of season. Learning what types of fruits & veggies are in season when you go shopping is an easy way to cut costs. Also, if you find a great price on something fresh or you have grown an abundance, you can always blanch and freeze the extra.

Jennifer: I spend roughly $50/week for myself and my son and we eat a very healthy, well-balanced diet. It's possible to not spend a fortune, depending on your diet. We're not huge meat eaters but I buy extra when it's on sale. We eat seasonal fruits and veggies, don't buy a lot of prepackaged food (except things for bag lunches due to school rules), and don't buy a lot that doesn't get eaten.

Erin: I have found that it is possible to eat healthy, including fruits and vegetables and stay on a budget. When I go to the farmers market, I can get a big tub of organic spinach for $2. The grocery store sells that same tub for $6. That $2 allows me to have spinach salads all week for lunch. I also watch sales ads and watch for coupons (driscolls.com has berry coupons; Earthbound Farms will mail you coupons if you email them; Dole Pineapple puts out coupons every couple of months, etc). My husband and I eat healthy meals at home for $50/week including fruits, vegetables, fresh fish, and organic dairy products. Trust me, it can be done!

soundoff(59 Responses)

Lincoln

Well this was an interesting challenge but I'm reminded of that famous Ronald Reagan quote, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" I don't understand why anyone would take diet advice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not considering who they are, who they represent, and their atrocious track record in such matters. The gov't agency who announced the MyPlate initiative is the same group who came up with the Food Pyramid, which was practically a recipe for obesity and Type II diabetes.

Do you actually have a *reason* for your paranoia, or is your tinfoil hat just loose today? Even better, do you have an alternate set of recommendations that goes beyond "the LAWD sez I can eat all I can get my mouth around at the Country Buffet"?

I'm getting very weary of all the anti-government bla, bla, bla....you folks that bust on the government will be the first ones crying for government help in a disaster. If it's so upsetting....go live in a third world country PLEASE!

@ sandy ..i've never asked for or received anything from teh gov.. ...however, the gov. asks for somethihng from me every time i get a paycheck. you seem to have confused the lazy liberals who live off the gov. teet with people who actually can take care of themselves. same goes for the police. ..never needed them before. i take care of myself. it's all about personal responsibility. ...not that the lazy liberal left knows anything about that.

MyPyramid was certainly not a recipe for obesity or type II diabetes. If you eat a reasonable number of calories for your activity level, there was no danger from MyPyramid. It was a healthy diet. It was not the only possible healthy diet, of course, but it was healthy.

@clay Exactly. I have never needed the police or the government for anything. On the contrary, the police and government have only ever given me grief (traffic tickets, threateningly accused me of underpaying taxes twice and I proved they were wrong both times).

The government collects your hard-earned pay and spends it bombing Libya, Afghanistan, and wherever they choose. And don't even get me started on the foreign aid... This place could be an absolute paradise if government actually worked for our people and not against it.

@joetheplumber and clay: you idiots. why dont we just do away with all goverment agencies, no fema, no military, no police force, NOTHING! I hate people like you so much. Im in the military ive served for 14 years and i'll say, you should thank god that your government is involved in your sorry lives. Look if you really dont like how things are done here then LEAVE! Btw dont ever call me or anyone of my soldiers when another country has decided to invade. Dont call 911 when youve shot yourself while watching hee haw and playing with you dog skeeter, and your four ring around the colar redneck kids. with that i say pls get your whole head in front of the shot gun and thanks for calling

For all of you smug anti-gov know-it-alls out there blaming the food pyramid and the plate for obesity and type II diabetes, go to the grocery or just about any restaurant you know of and open your eyes. You can predict the contents of the grocery cart or the fat, sugar, and calories on the menu by the size of the person shopping or ordering. Oh, and by the way, there's a whole bunch of them overweight folks out there that have been taken in by every snakeoil fad diet that came around – an none of those came from the government. Anybody that professes to follow the recommendations of either the pyramid or the model can still sabotage themselves with ignorant choices and failure to read labels. I think some of you out there are suffering from malnutrition-related diminished cognitive function when you make these stupid pronouncements. Oh, and you probably believe that the food packaging and fast-food industries are falling over themselves trying to rescue us from poor nutritional habits. Bwa-hah-hah-hah!

Just invest in good food and eliminate fast food. It is investing in yourself. If you doubt that then just speak to people who have diseases that may have been preventable had they ate properly. All will tell you they wish they had done so.

From my recent blog posting: The nutrition guide MyPlate is apparently already out of date. Today, the USDA is unveiling a new, new approach to meet the ever challenging goal of eating a healthier diet.

The agency is introducing MyStomach, a graphic design of the human organ divided into four quadrants to represent the four main nutritional markers: Dark Chocolate, Sunday Bacon, Bottomless Fries, and Your Favorite Adult Beverage.

"This will make it much easier for the average American to stomach the stringent dietary guidelines we have been promoting for years," said the Assistant to the Deputy to the Vice-chair of the guidelines committee with a wry wink. "Actually, this is all a joke. C'mon, Sunday Bacon? That should obviously be Country Sausage."

These articles just make me wonder how there would be time left over for families to have a life. 'Going to the farmer's market' would kill an entire evening or weekend morning for us; time we just don't have to do on a regular bases.

Have you considered taking your family with you? It's not such a terrible idea that you all take time to think/talk about what you eat together. Many farmer's markets cater to children – mine has face painting and musicians. It's never too early to get your kids involved in understanding what they eat – how better to do that than introduce them to the people growing their food? But, then again, you'd probably miss out on an hour of TV or Wii... better skip it.

We make the farmer's market a family event- my son learns about the farmers who grow the food. Since he helps make fruit and vegetable choices, he is excited to eat them (he also helps with preparing the food). And, we all get a chance to be together and talk.

My so-called Farmers' Market does not carry local produce all the time (much comes from a hundred miles or more away and is bought through a distributor; it's not being sold or grown by LOCAL FARMERS. I've asked.) and is significantly MORE EXPENSIVE than the organic section of the local grocery store. I can spend $50 at the FM and still have to spend $50 at the grocery store (beans, tofu, dairy, if any, paper products (yes, I use cloth when possible and organic wonderful household products, but you don't find those at an FM anyway) - the things the FM doesn't have) or $75 at the grocery store, WITH as much organic as they have, and I only buy from the organic tables. I would take the extra two hours to shop BOTH but I really can't afford the time, let alone the money. I'd like to support a true Farmer's Market but this feels like Yuppie-Snob Fairy land.

The farmer's market is a great option, but in our area of New England most only run from July – October. During the time our farmer's market is open we go every Saturday to buy produce for the week. There are no musicians or face painting, though. This is just a plain local farmer's market with about a half dozen vendors, some of whom are simply re-selling other farmers' products and some of whom actually grow what they sell. We've figured out who grows what they sell and try to patronize their stands when possible, even though it can cost a little more.

The budget for buying healthy, fresh food is a constant challenge. Not much "local" food grows here in February outside of a cold frame or greenhouse. For the 2/3 of the year where we have no farmer's market exactly how are we supposed to get reasonably-priced local fruits and veggies? It doesn't come cheap and during the winter it's usually not local, but it is worth the cost. Our little girl is already an adventurous eater who loves a wide variety of fruits and veggies. Aside from breastmilk, her diet actually follows the MyPlate recommendations pretty closely!

Doing things like going to the Farmer's Market together as a family IS having a life.

Constantly shunting kids back and forth between activities so that 100% of their time is scheduled and structured is NOT.

Then again, maybe you're one of the people whose definition of "having a life" involves reality television, video games and Facebook. In that case, I feel sorry for you to some extent, and for your kids to a great extent. Read a few books on living consciously and get back to us.

Thank you, Mr. Bones. I was wondering the same thing. I thought part of having a life was running errands. And how is shopping at the farmer's market any harder or more time consuming than shopping at a grocery store?

Yeah, really! I've been following the MyPlate guidelines and I'm feeding a family of four (and feeding us well) on $100 per week. The author is acting like $62 a week for just ONE person is a hardship or something. The only thing I can think of is that maybe they thought each meal has to LITERALLY be separated four different types of food? I make a lot of one-pot meals in which at least half of the ingredients are vegetables, plus a little meat and a little grain added in. You can easily make extra and pop it in the microwave for lunch the next day. You can make a turkey wrap with a whole grain tortilla stuffed full of veggies, or an egg-white omelet with chopped veggies, or throw a piece of chicken and some veggies into the oven and roast them, or, or, or.....whatever. Just have as much fruit/veggie as you are protein/grain over the course of the day. It's not rocket science, and it's not expensive.

If it takes that much planning and figuring, there's no chance less educated people will be able to work with it, and poor or REALLY busy people aren't going to have the time or opportunity do it. And that makes it completely useless.

When my kids were little, we would hit the produce aisle first. I would let them choose all the fruit and veggies they wanted. Later, if they saw cookies and asked for them, I simply asked, "Which fruit are you willing to give up for those?" You know, we had surprisingly few cookies in our house, because they were invested in their good food choices, which lasted longer!

This is not rocket science folks. For the overwhelming majority of people, all you need to do is eat SENSIBLY (balanced bfast, lunch, dinner, fruit snacks, and minor splurges) and exercise regularly. And when I say, "exercise," I don't mean, "go for a walk." I mean, "consistently push yourself." Elevate your heart rate for at least 30 minutes. Sweat. Push your limits. If you go to the gym, don't go and do the dickaround checklist for an hour. Bust your butt.
As Steve Martin said while hosting the oscars (I think in 2001?) when Catherine Zeta Jones came out to present an award, "I'd give anything to have a body like that...except eat right and exercise."
You don't need MyPlate, the food pyramid, the abdominzer, the hula seat on Ellen. Just eat sensibly and healthfully and exercise daily. There's a cottage industry of ideas and products looking to rip off people who don't want to do that and take a shortcut. Wanna know how Britney Spears lost all her babyweight and how Brad Pitt looked like a friggin chisled hunk in Fight Club? They stuck to a rigorous diet and they worked there @$$es off doing cardio and weights.

I agree, it takes hard work, not magic, to be healthy and fit, but I think tools like MyPlate are to help people understand what "Sensible" means. Unfortunately, our culture shows ads for "unhealthy" from breakfast to dinner. Frosted flakes with cartoon tigers for breakfast and Pizza Hut for dinner. What's nice though is MyPlate isn't a gimick, it's just a way to sync in with what "sensible" means. However, you're right, you need to put in work to get great results, but a learning tool for balanced eating is a step in the right direction.

What on earth is that picture supposed to be of? It looks like mangoes and blackberries on top of pieces of raw chicken. It even looks like there is fat on the chicken. I suppose from the article it's supposed to be yogurt, but that picture is gross.

Yeah- the photo's a little cloudy b/c it came from my phone which had been inside my pocket on a really hot humid day after exercising outdoors. The photo is of a blueberry and original tart frozen yogurt with mango bits, blackberries & mochi, which is a Japanese rice cake.

I too appreciate the aspects of the article that offer insight to the cost of eating "healthier", the use of farmer's markets and the introduction of portion measurement. As one of the post mentioned the author spent a seeming large amount of money to complete this "challenge'. Our family of four shops in a similar manner and do not spend that much more than the author did on a weekly basis. Shop local, eat seasonal and support your local farmer's market (make it part of your family's week). Teaching portion measurement is fundamental to learning how much to eat at each meal. This ultimately shifts to a better behavior pattern. Now if only the USDA can change their recommendations to a food list that is healthy, has evidence based effects on heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke and every other disparity. Eat vegetables, lean meats, some fruit, nuts and seeds. That is all you need.

Honestly.. With four members of a family going to a farmers market and excercising hard three or four days a week how does it leave time for much more then a life of working, planning to eat, eating, and excercising?

The farmers market is two mornings a week, exercise is a planned part of the day (5-6 times a week), planning meals is not difficult (it is actually fun and good family time) – the results are a more productive healthier, happier, balanced family. Honestly...how can you not make time for a healthy family?

Easy, the kids don't spend hours in their rooms alone, family time is spent doing other things than yelling from one room to another and they are involved with each other. It is called being a family and not letting the tv and computer raise your family.

Our family doesn't have time for TV or vids either. I just don't want a life that is focused on exercise. Kids are in dance lessons, gymnastics, etc. TV moderated to around an hour a week. We have an XBox 360 but it gets played about once every two weeks. Some people find exercise enjoyable and that is all they want to do and that is their choice, but we are not those people. A well rounded life contains music lessons, art lessons, reading, sitting around and relaxing, socializing, and any other hobby you can think of. Seems so hard to find time for it all. Find, eat and exercise to live, but then you need all the other stuff to live for.

You are absolutely correct in every bit of your statement. It is difficult to provide a balanced life for a family. I believe proper nutrition (emphasis on proper evidence based, not what is being posted by the government) and exercise are as, if not more, important than the dance, art and other pursuits our children have. If anyone says it is not a struggle to provide a solid foundation for their children with the hope they develop to responsible productive adults is not living in the real world. Part of that recipe is fitness, the foundation of which is nutrition and exercise.

@ fletch and hatch, Good nutrition is not rocket science but it is science and the food plate or pyramid is the result of bad science. Do a web search of the nutritional benefits of saturated fat and be prepared to learn. Food can be placed in three catagories and that is protein, fat and carbohydrates. The only one that man can thrive without is carbohydrates and yet this is pushed by the USDA. Also cholesterol is not the bad guy that it is believed. Cholesterol is absolutely needed but the human body.
Following your suggestions of just smalller portions would result in a constant state of hunger. Fat satiates like nothing else and also eating fat will not make a person fat.

The food desert was a joke! I typed in our info and it seems that here in Tampa, in our area, we don't have fresh foods. So I guess the THREE farmers markets within walking distance that sell fresh produce 7 days a week at half the price of the stores don't count. That the gardens you see everywhere up and down the streets don't count? Our house hold is three adults and we manage on $75 (total!) a week for a very very healthy diet that includes fresh baked breads (small loaves that are healthy eaten in a day so portioned correctly!) and home grown tomatoes, greens and great meals! Shop sales for meats, farmers markets for fresh foods and get the book "Square Foot Gardening" to learn how you can cheaply provide fresh foods in whatever climate you live in.

In order to lose weight and be healthy, some effort will have to be made. Of course, it may be difficult at first but it does get easier. I lost 60 pounds on the myfreedomfit program and the first week was tough. After that, I learned how to make things simple for myself and every week got easier.

An old Italian man once told my sister "you no wanna be so fat, you no eat so much." Pretty much sums it up. Thank God my kids are grown, sending them to school with those bento containers would last about 2 weeks. Personally, I'm back to the old 1970's version of Weight Watchers (ie, cottage cheese, melba toast, steamed veggies,water, water, water, etc), its the only that ever worked for me.

Well after bouts of severe deliberation I decided to try this new fangled "Myplate" and ditched my food-pyramid. I adhered to this strict dietary regimen for 4 hours. After what can only be described as a grastronomic marathon I was found unconscious, on the bedroom floor.

I cannot remember much of what happened only that most of the bowel movement occured once I had slipped into a coma to protect my high brain functions. Forensic analysis determined that after I had passed out from the pain, my anus distended a full 4 inches and ejected a geyser of highly pressurized fecal matter that damaged most of the dry wall. I had somehow become animated during this period where upon I apparently scrawled " I ❤ poo" on the bedroom door in lipstick.

To keep this story short: "I don't think hammocks make for a deeper sleep".

The government is not the one shoveling food into people's mouths...therefore, only YOU are responsible for YOUR health. The obesity "epidemic" is not due to older food pyramids or the FDA's recommendations on butter vs. margarine, etc. Obesity is a problem because people eat too much non-nutritional food. It's not even an "over-eating" issue. It's bad food choices. For example, if you want to lose weight, eat as much fruit and vegetables as you possibly can all day long. You will lose weight. Just be sure to take a vitamin or eat the right beans, etc. to get all the daily vitamins/minerals you may be missing.

Hilarious. All this money in the "news" business and after reading this article I have no idea what MyPlate is! News article 101: Topic sentence/explanation. At least throw in a hyperlink! I gather it's a meal plan, but maybe not. Sheesh.

The problem with eating sensibly, is "what does sensibly mean?" How much fat? How many carbs? How much protein? How many calories? All calories are not the same. For example, you could eat 1800 calories a day of carbs (if you are afraid of fat) and what you didn't burn off would be stored as fat automatically. People are eating too much (we are not digging ditches or stuking hay, people), too much sugar (stored as fat), large portions, unlimited bread and potatoes, wrong kind of fat. It is important for someone to translate scientific research into good food policy. Will that be the breakfast cereal council of america? No! They want us to eat breakfast cereal. So it has to be the government.

great piece. I find that when you are on a mostly plant based diet (vegetarian) than you have a lot of freedom with carbs and the other groups...any you don't have to feel guilty about froyo. ON a plant based diet you have to eat veggies, but you also have to eat until you're full, so you end up eating more of what's good for you anyway. http://www.rabbitfoodrocks.blogspot.com

After 10 years of teaching art, I have never done a weaving project. Usually the classroom teachers take care of this standard but I couldn't help myself. Inspiration from Art For Small Hands was enough to push me to try this new medium. I loved it and so did the kids. I'm not going to lie, though. This project took a bit of investigating to see how to teach this project well. :

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